5 items Angels fans should have on their Christmas wish list

It's been a rough holiday season for Los Angeles Angels fans, as they have watched Shohei Ohtani (and everybody else) sign with the Dodgers and their team do virtually nothing in response. It looks like the Angels don't have a plan.

This Christmas Day might not see the Angels unwrap any fun presents, but they still have Christmas wishes that might just come true in the not-too-distant future. Free agency is far from over, and with Yoshinobu Yamamoto finally off the board, free agents should begin signing very soon.

For the Angels, they shouldn't only be dreaming about free agents coming to Anaheim. There are wishes this organization should have that involve the players who are already here. Let's rank these five Angels Christmas wishes we'd like to see come true.

5) Angels sign a back-end reliever

The only area the Angels have addressed with MLB contracts this offseason has been their bullpen as they've signed Adam Kolarek, Luis Garcia, and Adam Cimber to one-year contracts. All three of these pitchers have been good in the past, but they're all coming off down to bad years, are all older, and are all going to fit in middle relief.

Trying to find bargains makes sense, but the Angels also need to open the purse strings a bit and find at least one reliever they can realistically expect to pair with Carlos Estevez late in games and lock down some wins. As of now, that reliever has not signed with the Angels.

The best free agent reliever by far is Josh Hader. That'd be a very cool addition, but it doesn't even have to be him. Guys like Hector Neris, David Robertson, and even old friend Matt Moore would fit nicely pitching in the eighth or ninth inning. By signing one of them to go along with Estevez and pushing youngsters Ben Joyce and Jose Soriano to the middle innings, the Angels might actually have a good bullpen.

4) Angels add a middle-of-the-order bat

Losing Shohei Ohtani is a huge blow that the Angels cannot overcome with one signing. There's a reason he got a $700 million contract from the Dodgers. While they can't replace that kind of production, they can still add players who can take his spot in the middle of the order and rake.

The best position player in free agency is Cody Bellinger, but that doesn't seem likely for a variety of reasons. Considering his history of either being really good or really bad, that's probably for the best anyway. While Bellinger is unlikely, there are, however, several other hitters Perry Minasian can pursue.

Guys like Teoscar Hernandez, Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez, and Jorge Soler might not get fans super excited after losing Shohei Ohtani, but they'd at least be legitimate run producers in the middle of the order that this Angels team is missing after the Ohtani departure.

As of now, it's Mike Trout, Brandon Drury, and a whole lot of wishful thinking when it comes to big boppers to put in the middle of this order. The Angels need another bat desperately, preferably one that can actually make a big impact.

3) Angels acquire a frontline SP

At this point, it's hard to even care about who it is and where it comes from. The Angels desperately need a frontline starting pitcher to help lead what, on paper, looks like one of the worst rotations in the American League.

The Angels had a subpar rotation this past season even with Shohei Ohtani. Even if they see some improvements under new pitching coach Barry Enright, it's still a subpar staff without an ace. The Angels desperately need that ace.

The only frontline pitchers we see left in free agency are Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. Overpaying pitchers over the age of 30 is never the best idea, especially for a team not ready to win, so I can understand the Angels passing. Still, the need is glaring, so it's hard not to wish for it.

The Angels can look to the trade market to find this ace as well, with pitchers like Dylan Cease and Corbin Burnes available (no, they shouldn't want any part of Shane Bieber). These would be harder to pull off considering the lack of assets the Angels have at their disposal, but hey, it is a Christmas wish after all. Improving the rotation should be at the top of Perry Minasian's list.

1) Angels see improvements with their young players

Expectations will be different in 2024. Nobody is going to be praying hard for an outside chance at a postseason berth because it'll be so unlikely. The Angels had chances to make it with Ohtani, but with him gone and the team doing virtually nothing since, it's hard to have real expectations with this team.

While fans might not be paying as much attention to the win-loss record, they'll certainly be watching the young core this team has and hoping they'll show some improvements.

Ben Joyce, Chase Silseth, Sam Bachman, Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, Logan O'Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, Kyren Paris, Jo Adell, and Mickey Moniak are notables on their 40-man roster who are all 25 years old or younger. They all figure to play major roles in the majors sometime this season (perhaps with the exception of Paris) and Angels fans hope they continue to trend in the positive direction.

While it looks like a long time before the Angels might be true contenders again, the timeline changes if their young talent takes steps forward. Stars and future building blocks can be formed. It's unreasonable to expect everyone to improve, but seeing a good amount of these 25 or younger players looking better would be a great Christmas wish come true.